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A day in the life of ... Weight Watchers

Thursday, 5 May 2011

The Weight Watcher plan has recently changed, previously you could have about 20 points a day and save up a few a day for a night out. Now you get a minimum of 29 points a day but also a weekly budget of 49 extra points.

Weight Watcher research has revealed that successful slimming is not just about counting calories, but about how quickly your body processes different nutrients and which healthy foods help us to stay feeling satisfied for longer.

This diet encourages you to eat foods such as lean proteins, wholemeal bread and fruit and vegetables, which help us to feel fuller for longer which means you are more likely to stick to the plan.The plan has really worked for me and I've lost over 26 lbs now. This is what I eat on a weekday when I've been in work-

Tea- I drink a lot so I count 2 points for milk on days when I'm in work

Total = 7

Daily total 39/39 Pro Points

I did not use any of my 49 weekly points on this day, I like to keep them for the weekend or if I eat out. A pizza and a cocktail would be about 28 points which wouldn't leave me with many points for the rest of the day if I didn't have the weekly 'bank' to use. The new WW Pro Points plan is so much better than the old plan I used previously. The extra weekly budget has really helped me to stay on track.

Are any of you doing the Weight Watchers plan? Have you got any low point food ideas you can share with me?

I am doing Weight Watchers at the moment too! I started two weeks ago and haven't lost any weight yet but I'm still finding my feet and working out what I can and can't eat - the other day I had fish and chips and it wiped out nearly all my weekly points I'd been saving! I only get 29 points a day and I find it a bit of a struggle to be honest - once I've had breakfast and lunch I often only have 10 left for dinner so I have to try and pick veggie heavy dinners and skip dessert. A few things I have found out which may/may not be useful - I use a lot of Quorn in cooking and a lot of it is either 0 or 1 points, so you could whip up a Shepherd's Pie and it only be 1 or 2 points which is quite good. If I have a sweet craving and I don't have points left I drink cans of diet coke too as they're 0 points (didn't know Ribena Really Light was - that's brilliant!), I also have a lot of sugar free jelly's - Hartley's do a yum 'Low Calorie Jelly' which is 0 points and really tasty. I find the Weight Watchers site itself has loads of good resources on it, there are meal plans (http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=38151&sc=3023) and the message boards are full of useful hints and tips. Let me know if you want to share more tips and advice - would be great to know someone else doing it!xxx

Wow well done for losing the 26lbs! Obviously it is working for you but I'm still sceptical about WW. I use an online resource for counting calories instead (similar membership costs to WW). What makes me doubt WW is how can fruit and veg have no points? In the average banana there is 100cals so on my 1100cal diet that's quite a lot. I'm not criticising because obviously it works for you but I find calories make more sense to me. :) I do however love the WW food and using it in my calorie controlled diet :) xxx

I find WW really simple but you do have to calculate your points all the time but I suppose I find it better than something like Slimming world because I eat out a lot and don't cook from scratch much. It's a case of finding what works for you. @Rosie- I would struggle on 29 points! luckily I'm still on 39. I try and eat fruit salad and one crumpet with jam on for breakfast (asda smart price are the lowest in points) which works out at 3 points because I find I'm hungry in the evenings and don't want to waste points early on.

Turkey rashers are a great bacon substitute, really low in points but super tasty. For a nice Sunday morning breakfast I would have 2 ww or nimble slices of bread, 1 egg and 2 turkey rashers which is about 6 points.

I have chicken with nandos sauce on quite a lot, 2 thighs with the skin taken off and a huge plate of salad with lots of beetroot and carrot. All that is only 10 points.

If you ever want to share tips you can tweet me, I'm @GemFatFrocks or you can find my email address on my blog :)xx

@Emily Alice- I totally agree with you on the banana point, I limit myself to 2 small bananas a week. I also eat veg like carrots and beans because things like sweetcorn and peas have natural sugars in them. I think the plan is all about being satified and making sure you eat the right food. When you had to count fruit people would pick chocolate over fruit because you eat what you like the best. The plan encourages you to eat until you are satisfied and not to over eat which means that you can eat fruit and veg for free, but in moderation.Online tools are so handy aren't they? much easier than going to class or buying books (although I love my class)xx

In reply, Gem, you definitely speak sense! About eating in moderation. I just hope everyone who uses WW realises that as I have heard of people eating unlimited f&v and then complaining they're not losing weight..And I'd be too shy to go to a class so I love the online resources :) Good luck with your journey! I'm finding reading this blog v.helpful for mine :) xxx

to Emily Alice - I´m totally with you in terms of no points for especially fruits. Whenever I was on a diet and trying to lose weight, I wouldn´t count veggies such as lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes or peppers into my daily calorie count as they really are super low on calories (I´d do the same for strawberries, pineapple and watermelon) and I´d eat pretty much as much of this as I´d want to, but I would, however, be a bit cautious in terms of fruit - especially bananas - and some kinds of vegetables - for example carrots. And it always worked for me.However, it´s obvious that different things work for different people and if someone´s comfortably losing weight not counting fruits in their intake, all is perfectly fine, I think. Generally, though, I like the WW system. It seeems much easier than counting calories and as you have a point bank that you can use on your "bad" days, it makes more doable.Well done on your weight loss as well, 26lbs is an amazing result!

Congrats on your fab loss - you're doing brilliantly! My top tip is Boots Shapers popcorn, which at 88 calories comes in at about two points. I didn't find ProPoints great for me, but I just wanted to lose a few pounds for summer and am not technically overweight in terms of BMI. on 29 points a day I was starving and always in the weekly points bank. 29 points is actually a very, very low calorie diet, so no wonder it works! I did the old WW system a few years back when I was about a stone over my usual weight and it worked brilliantly for me - I noticed quite a few people on the WW forums saying the same thing.

@Cat- Thanks! I think I will struggle a little when my points drop to 29, thank god for free fruit and veg!ASDA have a cuppa soup in the Good for You range and it's roast chicken flavour. It's only 1 point which is a great way to take the edge off the hunger between meal times. There are also recipes for zero point soup on the WW website which I will be using when my points drop down. I will have a look for that popcorn, sounds good. I think I have popping corn at home, wonder how many points is in it...x

I really liked reading your post about weightwatchers as I have been struggling recently with my points as I get hungry often. But seeing your post has made me realise that I'm not using my points to my best advantage really

@vicky- yeah there is quite a lot but because I'm pretty big I get 39 points, most people get 29 ish so if I was on 29 I wouldn't have the salad dressing, babybell and I would only have 100 ml of juice that drops it by 4 points and instead of a quiche which is high in points I would have a boiled egg and ham on my salad which would take me to 29 instead. I'm finding the plan really flexible and I'm never hungry. I could have a couple of extra pirces of fruit to fill me up if I was having a hungry day x

I eat bananas every day and still lose weight on W:) I love a banana smoothie for breakfast.

Chia seeds are great - you put a teaspoon in a smoothie, salad or porridge and they swell in your stomach and make you feel fuller! One pro point for a teaspoon. Plus they have a bunch of other nutrients.

I lost nearly 2 stone on the old school weight watchers system. Absolutely loved it & didn't mind it difficult but they changed the system and I just couldn't get my head around it so I cancelled my membership. I must say I haven't put back on any weight and it really does change the way you think about food.

I'm thinking of signing up again & going to the meetings as I want to lose another 7lbs then I'll be my ideal weight & hopefully a small size 10 or 8. Fingers crossed!!

My advice is...* Buy lots of snacky foods. Fruit are free points wise. I got through LOTS of crabsticks (1 pt for 3) and Quavers are low in points too.* Pasta bakes are BRILLIANT. Low in points & filling.* Try and get some exercise even if it's just a class once a week or walking.

Very nice use of your points! You ate so much for such small values. I love everything weight watchers has to offer with the new system. I'm a where are my knees pledger on weight watchers and I would also love to share a day in the life as well!

I'm a devoted weight-watcher - I've been doing it since last year and though I've had a few blips and around six-months off the wagon (I can only blame it on getting too cocky and thinking I knew it all) I'm now back on it and have been following propoints since January this year. I've lost 53.5lbs so far out of 112lbs so I am getting there slowly but surely! I love the plan because it gives so much flexibility - which is great as I'm a student, so the weekly points come in really handy for nights out and impromptu take-aways. I'm on 39 points as well and a lot of my friends have commented that I always seem to be eating! I snack on fruit ALL the time and have huge portions of veggies with all my meals as it bulks everything out. Probably my best foodie tips would be 0pt Soup - I always have a few portions in the freezer for if I'm having a 'hungry' afternoon. Also sugar-free jelly is a great way to satisfy sweet cravings if you're low on points for the day as its 0pts as well!

Good luck on the rest of your weight loss, and a massive well done on doing so well so far!

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Where Are My Knees? is a dieting, healthy eating and exercise blog written by bloggers who each have their own goals and methods of losing weight. Here you will find healthy recipes, tips on how to dress for your body shape and more.